Love and the hope it brings

There’s no sweet, smart Jamie Sullivan (played by Mandy Moore) nor the happy-go-lucky heartthrob Landon Carter (Shane West) on ABS-CBN’s Your Song Presents: My Only Hope premiering Oct. 5 after A.S.A.P. ‘08. But the story of love and the change it brings to everyone remains dominant, like in the 2002 hit A Walk to Remember. The title is one of the soundtracks of A Walk to Remember and is the theme of the weekly-teen drama performed by Miguel Escueta.

My Only Hope explores what young adults go through in their lives although it revolves around finding true love and identity. It is the expanded version of the Mandy-Shane movie as the players and plot line get thicker. There’s an angle for those who live on the fast lane. There are those who prefer to take the tried-and-tested life.

It’s not surprising for everyone to see himself in one of those nine characters showing the realities of adulthood.

Headlining My Only Hope are the same cast members of the hit My Girl: Kim Chiu, Gerald Anderson, Enchong Dee, Niña Jose, Regine Angeles, Alex Gonzaga and David Chua, with new recruits Carlo Guevara and Xian Lim.

Their acting and looks are a cut-above-the-rest from the saccharine storyline of My Girl. The kapamilya stars are repackaged to show a bit of drama and substance. It’s not every day that we see Kim as April in a contemplating mood, totally different from the overacting Jasmine. She is calm and collected here. Gerald sports an all-black getup as Keeno, complete with that emo style hair and beard. He has reinvented himself as someone who considers living absurd. Complementing Gerald’s rock, Goth way of life is Nina’s paranoid, drug-dependent character, Jessie. She is convincing as an emotional girlfriend of Gerald, whose deep-thinking borders on the eccentric.

Nina’s role is a big change from the prim and proper beauty queen Anika of My Girl. She and Gerald look good as lovers whose only reason for living is each other.

What the viewers will look forward to are the new team-ups. Initially, Kim is paired with Enchong, whose character Jhun has difficulty revealing his true feelings to April. Palos agent Regine and My Girl star David make an unlikely couple as Yang and August, respectively. Alex (Fifi) plays hard to get with model-turned-actor Xian Lim (Enrico), not to mention the possible threesome, coosome between Gerald, Kim, Enchong and Nina.

At the recent press preview held at ABS-CBN’s Dolphy Theater, the camera works of debuting Jojo Saguin caught everyone’s attention. The shots, especially the tight and close-up ones, remind you of MTVs. The feel and atmosphere is very young, thus complementing the darkness and drama of the story. It shows that the teen cast can bring something new to the table.

The language, on the other hand, is close to the hearts of the young.

My Only Hope uses Boracay with its pristine waters and powdery white sand as backdrop, also showcasing the interiors and amenities of Two Seasons Hotel and Discovery Shores Hotel.

It may have some touches of A Walk to Remember at first glance. But when you look at it closer, My Only Hope is like a good walk in the afternoon to remind you that what you need in life is faith and a sense of balance.